According to the Dicionário Aurélio, a street is a “public road for urban circulation, totally or partially lined with houses”, while an avenue is an “urban road wider than the street, in general with several lanes for vehicle circulation”. But as the definition is imprecise, in practice there may be narrow avenues and streets with several lanes. In addition, there are several other names for spaces intended for the circulation of vehicles and pedestrians, such as alley, alley and footbridge. To try to resolve the confusion, the São Paulo City Hall issued a decree, in December 1988, naming the public places. But as each municipality has autonomy to name its streets, what is a street in São Paulo can be an avenue in Manaus. See below how things work in São Paulo.
Road
Road width between 7.2 and 19.99
pedestrian pathway
Road for the exclusive circulation of pedestrians and minimum width of 2 meters
Alley
Space intended for the exclusive circulation of pedestrians, interconnecting two public places and with a width of up to meters
walkway
Airway or underground for pedestrian-only circulation
Avenue
Road width equal to or greater than 20 meters
lane or passage
Road width between 3.61 and 7.19 meters
Return Balloon
Widening of a lane to allow vehicle maneuvers
Park
Square that must be large and contain equipment for culture and sports
Square
Patio intended for leisure, surrounded by other roads or by real estate
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